Bachelor of Architecture May 2026
Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Minor: Urban Design Honors Institute
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LEILA MOUTAWAKIL ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO 2026 Selected Works
Washington D.C.
Leila Moutawakil, born and raised in Northern Virginia, is a bright and passionate designer. Creative by nature, she grew up with a pencil glued to her hand, spending hours a day creating worlds with watercolors, scissors, and random objects. She watched her dad flip houses, renovate kitchens, and build additions, but in the back of her head, she knew she would do it differently. Architecture was the shoe that fit when searching for a profession. She wanted to help people while using her unique gift of spatial-thinking and problem-solving. My 5 years at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia proved to me that I was exactly where I should be. Design is not always the easiest task or the most straight forward, but it is something that I love doing. An interest that complements architecture is my passion for Tactile Art, especially the functional kind. Pottery, crochet, knitting, painting, drawing, and woodworking help me scale up into spaces, in a way panning around Rhino8 doesn’t always let me experience. Zooming out to Urban Design completed the picture for me. Architecture and art do not get placed in a vacuum, but are framed in a larger context, and urbanscale is something that allows me to understand that in a deeper way, through map making, analysis, and research. I envision my next steps are to hit the ground running, learn as much as I can from my peers and supervisors, and be active in learning the business side of architecture.
ABOUT ME
Designer Creative Do-er Thinker Problem Solver Curious Resillient Driven Unstoppable Organized
Photograph taken at the Williamsburg Biannual, Brooklyn NY during solo exhibition of project: REDEMPTION.
CONTENTS
SANCTUARY OF LIGHT
REDEMPTION
VENICE PAVILION
Comprehensive Design Studio Fall 2024 4th Year
1st Place Competition Winners Spring 2023 - Fall 2025 2nd Year - 5th Year
Italy Design Studio Spring 2025 4th Year
Professor Jim Mckenna Leila Moutawakil Antoinette Heberling
Dr. Grace Ong Yan, Andrew Hart R.A. Polina Filipova Leila Moutawakil Elena Nestico Anita Esin
Professor Vanessa Mingozzi Leila Moutawakil Yoselynn Martinez
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UNBURYING WILLOW
DRAFTING WORK
Urban Design Studio Spring 2026 5th Year
A United Construction Summer 2026
Professor Peng Du Teaching Assistant Erick Romero Leila Moutawakil Trevor Adams Nico Vijoen
Supervisor Hicham Moutawakil
HAND SKETCHES 2024- 2026
SANCTUARY OF LIGHT Comprehensive Design Studio 8 | Fall 2024 Instructor: Jim Mckenna Tools: Revit, Rhino, Grasshoper, Lumion Site Location: Blue Bell Park, Philadelphia Partner: Antoinette Heberling This comprehensive studio project focuses on the design of a 10,000-square-foot spiritual space of worship located in Blue Bell Park, Philadelphia, PA. The project involved extensive research on spiritual architecture through precedent studies and academic articles to explore how form, light, and material evoke a sense of spirituality. By comparing and contrasting different architectural approaches, the design establishes a clear intent rooted in universal symbolism and individual interpretation. The resulting concept reflects on the elements of architecture and experience that collectively create a spiritual atmosphere.
SANCTUARY OF LIGHT
8
1
1. Create Modules
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
IV III II I
2. Derive Forms
3. Carve Roofs
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SANCTUARY OF LIGHT
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Lobby Area
Meditation Hall
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SANCTUARY OF LIGHT
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13
SANCTUARY OF LIGHT
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SANCTUARY OF LIGHT GRAVEL GUTTER EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOF SYSTEM MULCH LAYER PLANTING SUBSTRATE GRAVEL GUTTER ANTI-ROOT WATERPROOFING EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOF SYSTEM 2" STAGGERED RIGID INSULATION CONCRETE FASCIA STEEL PLATE SUPPORTING CONCRETE CAP STEEL TRACK HOLDING CHANNEL GLASS WOOL INSULATION IN GAP BETWEEN GLASS AND W-FLANGE 2" STAGGERED RIGIDCONNECTION INSULATION STEEL BRACKET BOLTED CONCRETE FASCIA W-FLANGE STEEL MEMBER STEEL PLATE SUPPORTING CONCRETE CAP STEEL TRACK HOLDING CHANNEL GLASS WOOL INSULATION IN GAP BETWEEN GLASS AND W-FLANGE
DRAINAGE BOARD MULCH LAYER VAPOR BARRIER PLANTING SUBSTRATE INSULATION ANTI-ROOT WATERPROOFING 2" METAL DECK SUPPORTING DRAINAGE BOARD GREEN ROOF VAPOR BARRIER INSULATION 2" METAL DECK SUPPORTING GREEN ROOF
STEEL BRACKET BOLTED CONNECTION W-FLANGE STEEL MEMBER
7-1/4" DEPTH CHANNEL GLASS 6" TRANSLUCENT CHANNEL INSULATION HOLLOW STEEL COLUMN 5" DIA BOLTED PLATE SUPPORTING CHANNEL SYSTEM SEALED WITH SILICONE 7-1/4" DEPTH CHANNEL GLASS FLASHING 6" TRANSLUCENT CHANNEL INSULATION 1/4” CONCRETE STUCCO LAYER HOLLOW STEEL COLUMN 5" DIA BOLTED PLATE SUPPORTING CHANNEL SYSTEM SEALED WITH SILICONE 3" CONCRETE SLAB ON STEEL DECK FLASHING PLATESTUCCO CONNECTION 1/4”STEEL CONCRETE LAYER COMPOSITE STEEL BEAM 8"
1" RIGID INSULATION 5/8" HARDWOOD FLOORING 2.5" SELF-LEVELING CONCRETE HEATED MEMBRANE 1" RIGID INSULATION 2" RIGID INSULATION 5/8" HARDWOOD FLOORING MEMBRANE 2.5" SELF-LEVELING CONCRETE HEATED MEMBRANE 2" RIGID INSULATION
3" CONCRETE SLAB ON STEEL DECK
MEMBRANE
STEEL PLATE CONNECTION COMPOSITE STEEL BEAM 8"
12" CONCRETE FOUNDATION WALL ANCHOR BOLTS EMBEDDED IN CONCRETE CONCRETE FOOTER GRAVEL FOR DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT 4" DIA DRAIN PIPE
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2" INSULATION SURROUNDING ALL FOOTERS AND EXTERIOR FOUNDATION WALLS
SINGLE-PLY ROOF MEMBRANE 6” RIGID INSULATION CONCRETE SHELL; 5" EDGE THICKNESS 2" RIGID INSULATION CONCRETE SHEEL; 10" EDGE THICKNESS
EDGE BEAM 5/8" REBAR
1/2" APPLIED TRAVERTINE PANELS 3/4" SUBSTRATE 4" RIGID INSULATION 12” POURED-IN-PLACE CONCRETE WALL
METAL TRACK HOLDING FURRING WALL STUDS; BOLTED TO W-FLANGE MEMBERS
3/4" TRAVERTINE STONE VENEER 1/4" MORTAR OR ADHESIVE 1/2" CEMENT BOARD 6" STEEL STUDS AS FURRING WALL FRAMING
Lobby
Vestibule 2.5" SELF-LEVELING CONCRETE WIRE MESH THERMO-FLOOR UFH PIPE DAMP-PROOF MEMBRANE 2" RIGID INSULATION MEMBRANE
ANCHOR BOLT EMBEDDED IN POURED-IN-PLACE CONCRETE
CONCRETE FOOTER CONCRETE FOOTER GRAVEL FOR DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT
VAPOR BARRIER 3" CONCRETE SLAB EXPANSION JOINT 1" RIGID INSULATION
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REDEMPTION 1st Place Competition Winners Spring 2023 - Fall 2025 Dr. Grace Ong Yan. Andrew Hart R.A., Polina Filipova, Leila Moutawakil, Elena Nestico, Anita Esin Redemption is a permanent public art installation in Huntington, Long Island, NY, envisioned as a memorial celebrating the town’s rich African American history. The project honors both historical and contemporary figures by giving voice to their own words, etched into 7-foot-tall panels of Corten steel. The design evolved through multiple iterations, from three flat walls to two cuzrved walls forming intersecting “ghost circles” that create a contemplative space within. One wall is designed to cast shadows on the other, projecting the quotes in shifting light and adding layers to the town’s living history. The arrangement encourages reflection and dialogue, turning the installation into an immersive conversation between the words and the people who experience them.
REDEMPTION
Redemption was born as a throwaway competition proposal but slowly grew into something deeply meaningful to both my team and the Huntington community. The idea that Huntingtonians would be commemorated in such a permanent and also beautiful form, is symbolic. It expresses how important Black history is to us, as a nation, as designers, and for the townspeople, who set aside $75,000 as a grant for the costs of this project. 20
The site for the installation was Fairmeadows Park, a underused park that did not have any activations, was mostly used as an unofficial dog park. We saw the sparse state of the park as an opportunity to locate our structure in the center, where the sunlight would be most harse. Light became a central component of the design and helped ground our decision making.
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REDEMPTION
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6’ APPROX LIMIT OF TEXT
155°
7’
OVERLAP OF 6” APPROX
SEE FOUNDATION DESIGN BY ENGINEER
25°
figure 1
7’
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REDEMPTION
R-13’
16’ 4”
9’
figure 1
7’ 6
24
”
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VENICE PAVILION Design 7 | Spring 2025 Instructor: Vanessa Mingozzi Tools: Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, Photoshop, Illustrator, D5 Render Site Location: U.S. Pavilion, Venice Biennale Italy Partner: Yoselynn Martinez The pavilion’s design is guided by the concept of cones of view, shaping the way visitors experience the space. As one moves through the pavilion, variations in ceiling height and roof tilt are intended to evoke different emotional responses. Repetitive wooden beams span the interior, with spacing that adapts to the scale and function of each exhibition area. Colored, tinted glass is strategically incorporated to further influence mood and perception. Upon entering, the smaller, lower red windows create a sense of expansiveness, making visitors feel larger within the space. Progressing through the pavilion, the glass enlarges and transitions to warm oranges, leading to a long transitional hall that connects the two main exhibition spaces. Here, the wooden beams spread further apart, and the glass brightens to a vivid yellow, creating a feeling of lightness. In the second exhibition space, visitors experience a reversal of the initial sensations, feeling smaller and more intimate, emphasizing the contrast with the first space and enhancing the overall journey through the pavilion.
VENICE PAVILION
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VENICE PAVILION
Floor Plan (focused on courtyard design + ceiling beam placements + window colors)
Flow 30
Zones
Courtyard (the viewer ends their journey in an intimate setting)
Grids
Cones of View 31
VENICE PAVILION
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UNBURYING WILLOW Design 10 | Spring 2026 Instructor: Peng Du Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Wallacei, Urbano Site Location: Callowhill, Philadelphia Group: Leila Moutawakil, Trevor Adams, & Nico Viljoen Unburying Willow is a climate-adaptive urban design proposal for Calowhill, Philadelphia, addressing the site’s flood vulnerability, buried hydrological systems, and car-dominated urban fabric. The project reinterprets the historic Willow Street corridor, once a natural stream and now part of the city’s combined sewer network by reintroducing it as a surface-level bioswale system that restores ecological performance and distributed stormwater management. The design is driven by a Voronoi water sponge concept, inspired by natural cracking patterns found in drying mud, where surfaces fragment into cellular systems that optimize distance and flow. This logic is translated into an urban framework where Voronoi cells organize both landscape and built form: some cells remain porous green infrastructure for water retention and ecological regeneration, while others are extruded into building volumes. This creates a system that works with water rather than against it, allowing the site to absorb, store, and adapt to flooding conditions.
1. Preserve Franklin
2. Green Corridor
3. Offset Path
4. Points By Density
5. Create Voronois
6. Vary Building Heights
7. Create Courtyards
8. Combine Bioswale Area
UNBURYING WILLOW Willow’s Evolution
1750 Stream
1910 Railroad
Our team framed this project using a few containers. Our what, how, and why. This turned into concept, strategies, principles, and the problem. Our concept includes the ideas of water sponge, human mobility, and destination. Our strategies to accomplish our concept included bioswale, site activation, and human design. Human design was further defined as pedestrian priority and cores or hubs for commercial, retail, and residential activity. Our principles that we derived from these were density, walkability, and green infrastructure.
1962 Street
Water Sponge Human Mobility What
Concept
How
Strategies
Destination
Bioswale
Cores
Site Activation
Retail Residential
Human Design Pedestrian Density Why
Principles Walkability Green Infrastructure The Problem
The problem we were solving on the site were flooding, dilapidated, impervious surfaces, sewage, minimal drainage, excessive runoff, and large parking lots.
Flooding Dilapidated Impervious Sewage Drainage Runoff Parking Lots
All of these things pointed to our larger design intent.
Natural Disaster
Vinestreet Expressway
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Commercial
2021 Flood
Design Intent.
Objectiv
Surface Parking Collage
0m
25m
50m
100m
200m
Voronoi Pattern Found in Nature
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UNBURYING WILLOW [objectives & solutions]
Floor Area Ratio Maximizes vertical density by concentrating building mass into taller forms, freeing the ground plane for adaptable public and floodable landscapes while carefully avoiding over-clustering.
Green Area Ratio Maximizes permeable and vegetated surfaces through the Voronoi system to manage stormwater, reduce flooding, and create a high performing ecological ground network.
View Access to Green Space
Minimize Solar Radiation
Enhances well-being and spatial clarity by orienting and spacing buildings to maintain strong visual connections to green and water systems across the site.
Reduces heat exposure in public space by strategically shaping and positioning buildings to cast controlled shade without compromising light, vegetation, or spatial quality.
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12 Best Performing Solutions
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UNBURYING WILLOW Bioswale at Max Capacity
Program by Building Type
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Average day Conditions
Severe Flood Conditions
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DETAILS Spring 2024 Tools: Revit and Hand Modeling Development of building technology and materials in Tech 4 allowed for strides in visual representation and understanding of how building tech-tonics work together to accomplish specific design considerations. Using Revit to make detail work more seamless. This enabled drawings to respond to multiple rounds of improvements and adjustments with greater efficiency.
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21'-0"
Timber Planks 1/2" Board and Batten 3/4" Exterior Gypsum Sheathing 1/2" WRB Membrane
Rigid Insulation 5" Vapor Barrier Gypsum 1/2" Cricket 10'-0"
Concrete Slab 7" Metal Deck Absorbent Board 2" Acoustical Plaster 1/4"
Gypsum 1/2" Acoustical Insulation 4"
Acoustical Carpet 1" Concrete Slab 8" WRB Membrane Insulation 6" Gravel 1' -16'-0"
43 3
New Wall Section 1/2" = 1'-0"
DRAFTING WORK I refined my drafting speed and quality with hands on measuring on site of both bathrooms and kitchens. Onsite I sketched plans, made notes, and took all measurements of the existing conditions, then created drafted plans and elevations to deliver to the designer.
COMPANY:
A UNITED CONSTRUCTION
Lorton Condo
CLIENT NAME:
COMPANY: A UNITED CONSTRUCTION
06/25/2026
DATE:
CLIENT NAME:
DATE:
Hala Younes
36"
27"
30"
06/22/2026
4"
12"
36"
27"
42"
LEVEL 2 95 1/2"
LEVEL 2 95 1/2"
•
51"
NOTES: REPLACE ALL CABINETS
30"
30"
93 1/2"
18"
15"
12"
217"
26 3/4" 27 1/2"
27 1/2"
23 1/2"
15"
NOTES: • REPLACE ALL CABINETS WITH NEW UNITS (SAME SIZES) • EXTEND COUNTER WITH SINK AND DISHWASHER • ADD ANOTHER BASE AND WALL CABINET
69 7/8"
123 1/2"
•
move outlet above new counter
29 1/2"
DW
36"
27 1/4"
DW
ADD TWO FULL LENGTH PANTRY CABINETS BESIDE COUNTER EXTENSION COLOR • TOP CABINETS BEIGE • BASE CABINETS NAVY BLUE
•
LEVEL 1 0" 30"
6"
27"
LEVEL 1 0"
30" 3"
A101 Elevation 2 - a
1
2
3/4" = 1'-0"
A101
27"
24"
18"
Elevation 1 - a 3/4" = 1'-0"
A101
2 1/2"
6 1/4"
A101
118 3/4"
10" 57"
121"
227" LEVEL 2 95 1/2"
LEVEL 2 95 1/2"
18 1/2"
16 1/2"
1
31"
120"
3
2 A101
fan blades are 36" from wall 4
2
A101
1
23"
34 1/2"
A101
24"
A101
50"
9 3/4"
entryway
11 A101
wall opening
48"
61 1/4"
Floor Plan
51 1/2"
3/4" = 1'-0"
30"
19 1/2"
35 3/4"
2" 8"
29"
19 1/2"
8"
106 3/4" LEVEL 1 0"
1 A101
44
Floor Plan 1/2" = 1'-0"
4 A101
Elevation 4 - a 3/4" = 1'-0"
LEVEL 1 0"
3 A101
Elevation 3 - a 3/4" = 1'-0"
COMPANY: A UNITED CONSTRUCTION
CLIENT NAME:
DATE:
Hala Younes
06/22/2026
217" 93 1/2"
•
51"
NOTES: REPLACE ALL CABINETS
26 3/4" 27 1/2"
27 1/2"
23 1/2"
15"
NOTES: REPLACE ALL CABINETS WITH NEW UNITS (SAME SIZES) • • EXTEND COUNTER WITH SINK AND DISHWASHER • ADD ANOTHER BASE AND WALL CABINET •
move outlet above new counter
DW
36"
29 1/2"
123 1/2"
ADD TWO FULL LENGTH PANTRY CABINETS BESIDE COUNTER EXTENSION COLOR • TOP CABINETS BEIGE • BASE CABINETS NAVY BLUE
•
A101
23"
2
2 1/2"
120"
6 1/4"
fan blades are 36" from wall
10"
31"
227"
1 A101
19 1/2"
30"
19 1/2"
35 3/4"
2"
106 3/4"
1
Floor Plan 1/2" = 1'-0"
COMPANY: A UNITED CONSTRUCTION
CLIENT NAME:
AFSHAN HAFEEZ
54"
75 1/4"
DATE:
07/03/2026
5 1/2"
50 1/2" 42"
36 1/4"
3"
33 1/2"
A103
24" 2 3/4"
2
44"
37 3/4"
A101
104"
1
30"
39 1/2"
21"
30"
1
50 3/8"
11"
A101
36"
1 1/2"
A102
19
4"
3/ 4"
26 3/4"
29
OVEN
1/ 4"
1/2" = 1'-0"
24" 59"
2" 16"
4"
Floor Plan
17 1/2"
3/
1 A101
31 1/4"
7
33" 40 1/2"
32 5/8"
142"
27"
DW
1
A101
50 1/2"
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HAND SKETCHES Tools: Pencil, Pen, and Paper Drawing has always been a key part of my design thinking and iteration. I grew up drawing everyday, either digitally, with pens and pencils, or watercolors. I believe quick hand sketches are invaluable for communicating ideas whether it be to classmates, professors, or in a office setting.
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Bachelor of Architecture May 2026
Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Minor: Urban Design Honors Institute
LMM. MOUTAWAKIL@ GMAIL.COM 703-675-4057 Selected Works
Washington D.C.